Apple Cheesecake with Salted Caramel and Crumble

Æblecheesecake med saltkaramel og crumble - Cheesecake med æbler

Apple Cheesecake with Salted Caramel and Crumble

Recipe for a delicious autumn-inspired apple cheesecake with a Biscoff base, salted caramel and crumble.

Serves 8-10.

Course Cake, Dessert

Cuisine Danish

Nøgleord Apple dessert, Cheesecake

Total Time 6

Servings people

Calories 526kcal

Ingredients

Biscuit base

250 g Biscoff biscuits (or Bastogne)
100 g butter

Apple compote*

375 g apples (peeled and cored weight)
60 g caster sugar
3 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp water
1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped out

Crumble

50 g porridge oats
50 g plain flour
40 g caster sugar
1 pinch salt
75 g cold butter, cut into cubes

Cheesecake filling

200 ml apple compote*
4 1/2 sheets leaf gelatine
250 ml whipping cream (38% fat)
250 g full-fat cream cheese
100 g icing sugar
3 tbsp lemon juice

Topping

Apple compote
Crumble
4 tbsp salted caramel - click here for the recipe
Edible flowers (optional)

You will also need

Cake ring or springform tin, approx. 18-20 cm
Acetate cake collar

Instructions

Preparation - can be done 2-3 days ahead

Start by making the apple compote - it needs to cool completely before it is stirred into the cheesecake filling. Make the crumble too and let it cool completely. It stays nicely crisp in an airtight jar.
If you are making your own salted caramel, make this ahead as well. It stays lovely and soft - even in the fridge.

Apple compote

Put the peeled, cored and diced apples in a saucepan with the sugar, lemon juice, water and vanilla seeds - add the empty vanilla pod too for extra vanilla flavour.
Simmer the apples for about 15 minutes, or until they are tender and the compote has thickened - remove the vanilla pod and blend the apples with a stick blender to a smooth purée. Chill in the fridge.

Crumble

Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add the butter and rub it into the dry ingredients with your fingertips until the mixture comes together in small clumps.
Spread it out on a baking tray lined with baking parchment and bake in a preheated conventional oven (top and bottom heat) at 200°C for about 15-20 minutes. Then leave to cool completely.

Biscuit base

Blitz the biscuits to fine crumbs.
Melt the butter in a small saucepan and stir in the biscuit crumbs.
Line the base of a springform tin with baking parchment, then line the inside of the ring with an acetate cake collar.
If using a cake ring, place it on a chopping board with a sheet of baking parchment underneath and line the inside of the ring with acetate.
Tip the biscuit mixture into the tin and press it down firmly so the whole base is covered and the mixture is well compacted - you can let the biscuit mixture come a little way up the sides too if you like.
Chill in the fridge while you make the cheesecake filling.

Cheesecake filling

Measure out the amount of apple compote specified for the filling (see the ingredient list) - the rest is used for the topping.
Soak the gelatine sheets in a large bowl of cold water for about 15 minutes.
Whip the cream to soft peaks and set aside.
Beat the cream cheese with the icing sugar and lemon juice until smooth and free of lumps, then stir in the apple compote.
Melt the soaked gelatine in a small saucepan over the lowest possible heat. It only takes a few seconds, so keep an eye on it. Don't squeeze the gelatine out too thoroughly before melting it - the little water that clings to it makes the melting easier to control.
Remove the pan from the heat as soon as the gelatine has melted.
Stir a couple of large spoonfuls of the cheesecake filling into the pan with the melted gelatine, and keep stirring until it is free of lumps and the mixture has cooled slightly.
Stir the gelatine mixture thoroughly into the rest of the cheesecake filling, then finally fold in the whipped cream.
Pour the filling over the biscuit base – spread it out with the back of a spoon and gently tap the chopping board on the worktop to knock any air bubbles out of the filling.
It helps to dip the spoon in a little hot water, wipe it dry and smooth the surface of the cake - that way it won't stick to the filling.
Spread the rest of the apple compote over the top and sprinkle with crumble.
The filling should be firm enough to hold both the apple compote and the crumble, but if it seems soft, chill it in the fridge for half an hour or so - and then do the step above.

Serving

Release the cheesecake from the tin and acetate collar, top with the salted caramel and serve.
For a neater finish, pop the cheesecake in the freezer for an hour or so before removing it from the tin - this gives the sides a smoother surface. Otherwise simply smooth them with a palette knife.

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